Display control apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a display control apparatus and method that make it possible to easily recognize detailed information relating to an overlap time slot in an apparatus capable of setting recording reservations for programs whose broadcast time slots overlap with each other. Program- 11  that will be broadcast from 11 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. on channel- 123  and program- 14  that will be broadcast from 11:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. on channel- 124  have an overlap broadcast time of 11:40 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. Of a block of program- 11 , a portion of the overlap time slot is given a color (hatched) meaning that an action corresponding to a set reservation will be executed in spite of the overlap in broadcast time with the other program. Of a block of program- 14 , a portion of the overlap time slot is given a color (dotted) meaning that an action corresponding to a set reservation will not be executed because of the overlap in broadcast time with the other program. The invention can be applied to equipment for processing TV programs such as STBs.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a display control apparatus and method.In particular, the invention relates to a display control apparatus andmethod that make it possible to easily recognize detailed informationrelating to an overlap time slot in an apparatus capable of settingrecording reservations for programs whose broadcast time slots overlapwith each other.

BACKGROUND ART

What is called the EPG (electronic program guide) in which program guidedata to be used for program selection are transmitted being multiplexedwith program data such as video and audio and other data and aredisplayed on a reception-side display device is known in such a field asdigital broadcast.

Using an EPG, users can not only select a program to watch but also, forexample, select a program to be reserved for recording to store it in aDVCR (digital video cassette recorder), a hard disk recorder, or thelike that is connected to the display device.

For example, a user can set a recording reservation by selecting adesired program from programs in a displayed EPG by manipulating aremote controller or the like and then depressing a recordingreservation button.

For a program for which a recording reservation has been set, aprescribed icon or the like that informs a user of the setting of therecording reservation is displayed in the EPG.

Incidentally, there are recording devices such as DVCRs and hard diskrecorders that allow setting of recording reservations for programswhose broadcast times overlap with each other. This function allowsusers to set, in the case where, for example, a setting to performrecording in the same time slot every day has already been made, arecording reservation for another program to be broadcast in that timeslot without the need for taking care about such an existing setting.

FIG. 1 shows an EPG example that is displayed by an apparatus thatallows, as mentioned above, setting of recording reservations forprograms whose broadcast times overlap with each other.

In FIG. 1, the horizontal axis represents the time and the vertical axisrepresents channels. Although in the example of the figure programs thatare broadcast on channel-127 to channel-131 are omitted, actually thetitles etc. of programs to be broadcast in the time slots shown aredisplayed like those of channel-123 to channel-126.

As shown in the figure, for example, the broadcast times of program-1(European Soccer) and program-3 (Money Talk) overlap with each other andthe broadcast times of program-2 (World Martial Arts) and program-3 alsooverlap with each other. Icons indicating that recording reservationsare set for these programs are displayed on the left of their programnames, respectively.

In the example of FIG. 1, reservation icons 11, 12, and 13 are displayedon the left of the titles of program-1, program-2, and program-3,respectively.

By checking such reservation icons, a user can easily recognize for whatprograms recording reservations are set.

FIG. 2 shows an example in which recording reservations have been set byusing an EPG and detailed information of those settings is displayed inlist form.

In this example, detailed reservation information of program-1,program-2, and program-3 for which reservations are set in FIG. 1 isdisplayed as reservation information-1, reservation information-2, andreservation information-3, respectively.

Each piece of reservation information, for example, reservationinformation-1, is such that a program title, a channel, a broadcast dateand time, etc. are displayed and a reservation icon 11 etc. aredisplayed on their right.

By referring to such a list display, a user can also recognize easilyfor what programs recording reservations are set.

However, although displaying, for example, an EPG as shown in FIG. 1allows a user to easily recognize for what programs recordingreservations are set, there is a problem that in the case wherebroadcast time slots overlap with each other he cannot obtain, on theEPG, more detailed information such as an overlap time slot and whichreserved program will be recorded during the overlap time slot.

In the case of FIG. 1, for example, although the user can recognize thatthe broadcast time slots of program-1 and program-3 overlap with eachother, he cannot recognize a specific overlap time slot at a glance. Andthe user cannot recognize which of program-1 and program-3 will berecorded in the overlap time slot.

Further, a technique is known in which program blocks for whichrecording reservations etc. are set are displayed in a different colorthan program blocks for which no such settings are made. However, evenin such a case, as in the above-described example, a user cannotrecognize detailed information such as an overlap time slot at a glance.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,and makes it possible to easily recognize, on an EPG or the like,detailed information such as an overlap time slot and a setting of areservation of an action corresponding to which is to be executed in theoverlap time slot in an apparatus capable of setting recordingreservations for programs whose broadcast time slots overlap with eachother.

A first display control apparatus according to the invention ischaracterized by comprising reservation setting means for setting arecording reservation or a viewing reservation for a program; acquiringmeans for acquiring electronic program guide information; and displaymeans for displaying the electronic program guide information acquiredby the acquiring means, and the display control apparatus is furthercharacterized in that where a broadcast time slot of a program for whicha recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set by thereservation setting means overlaps with that of another program forwhich a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set, thedisplay means displays the electronic program guide information in sucha manner that an overlap first time slot is given prescribeddiscrimination information for discriminating the overlap first timeslot from a non-overlap second time slot.

The display means may display the electronic program guide informationin such a manner that the first time slot and the second time slot aregiven different colors.

The first display control apparatus may further comprise priority ranksetting means for setting a priority rank to the recording reservationor the viewing reservation that is set for each of the program and theother program, and the display means may display the electronic programguide information by selecting the discrimination information on thebasis of the priority ranks set by the priority rank setting means.

A first display control method of a display control apparatus accordingto the invention is characterized by comprising a reservation settingstep of setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for aprogram; an acquiring step of acquiring electronic program guideinformation; and a display step of displaying the electronic programguide information acquired by processing of the acquiring step, and thefirst display control method is further characterized in that where abroadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or aviewing reservation has been set by processing of the reservationsetting step overlaps with that of another program for which a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation has been set, the electronicprogram guide information is displayed by processing of the display stepin such a manner that an overlap first time slot is given prescribeddiscrimination information for discriminating the overlap first timeslot from a non-overlap second time slot.

A second display control apparatus according to the invention ischaracterized by comprising reservation setting means for setting arecording reservation or a viewing reservation for a program; anddisplay means for displaying, in list form, pieces of reservationinformation relating to recording reservations or viewing reservationsset by the reservation setting means, and the second display controlapparatus is further characterized in that where a broadcast time slotof a program for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservationhas been set by the reservation setting means overlaps with that ofanother program for which a recording reservation or a viewingreservation has been set, the display means displays, in list form, thepieces of reservation information to which prescribed pieces ofdiscrimination information indicating whether pieces of reservationinformation are effective in an overlap time slot are added.

The display means may display, in list form, the pieces of reservationinformation to which icons indicating whether the pieces of reservationinformation are effective in the overlap time slot are added as thepieces of discrimination information.

The display means may display, in list form, the pieces of reservationinformation to which indicators are added as the pieces ofdiscrimination information, each of the indicators being such that of abroadcast time slot of the program a time slot during which an actioncorresponding to a recording reservation or a viewing reservation willbe executed and a time slot during which the action corresponding to therecording reservation or the viewing reservation will not be executedare shown in different colors.

The second display control apparatus may further comprise priority ranksetting means for setting a priority rank to the recording reservationor the viewing reservation that is set for each of the program and theother program, and the display means may display, in list form, thepieces of reservation information by selecting the pieces ofdiscrimination information on the basis of the priority ranks set by thepriority rank setting means.

A second display control method of a display control apparatus accordingto the invention is characterized by comprising a reservation settingstep of setting a recording reservation or a viewing reservation for aprogram; and a display step of displaying, in list form, pieces ofreservation information relating to recording reservations or viewingreservations set by processing of the reservation setting step, and thesecond display control method is further characterized in that where abroadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or aviewing reservation has been set by processing of the reservationsetting means overlaps with that of another program for which arecording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set, the piecesof reservation information to which prescribed pieces of discriminationinformation indicating whether pieces of reservation information areeffective in an overlap time slot are added are displayed in list formby processing of the display step.

In the first display control apparatus and method, a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation is set for a program, electronicprogram guide information is acquired, and the acquired electronicprogram guide information is displayed. Where a broadcast time slot of aprogram for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation isset overlaps with that of another program for which a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation is set, the electronic programguide information is displayed in such a manner that an overlap firsttime slot is given prescribed discrimination information fordiscriminating the overlap first time slot from a non-overlap secondtime slot.

In the second display control apparatus and method, a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation is set for a program, and pieces ofreservation information relating to recording reservations or viewingreservations that are set are displayed in list form. Where a broadcasttime slot of a program for which a recording reservation or a viewingreservation is set by overlaps with that of another program for which arecording reservation or a viewing reservation is set, the pieces ofreservation information are displayed in list form to which prescribedpieces of discrimination information indicating whether pieces ofreservation information are effective in an overlap time slot are added.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a conventional display example of an EPG;

FIG. 2 shows a conventional list display example of reservationinformation;

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary configuration of a display control system towhich the invention is applied;

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary appearance of a remote controller shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an exemplary internal configuration of anSTB shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for description of a process of the STB shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for description of another process of the STBshown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for description of still another process of theSTB shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 shows an EPG display example;

FIG. 10 shows colors that are given to blocks of the EPG of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for description of a process of the STB shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 12 shows a list display example of reservation information;

FIG. 13 shows, in an enlarged manner, reservation information-1 in thelist display of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14A shows a first display example of a reservation state indicationregion shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 14B shows a second display example of the reservation stateindication region shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 14C shows a third display example of the reservation stateindication region shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15A shows a fourth display example of the reservation stateindication region shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15B shows a fifth display example of the reservation stateindication region shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15C shows a sixth display example of the reservation stateindication region shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 shows a still another display example of the reservation stateindication region shown in FIG. 13; and

FIG. 17 shows another list display example of reservation information.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary configuration of a display control system towhich the invention is applied.

Incorporating an STB (set top box) 43, a TV receiver 41 displays, on amonitor 42, a picture of a TV program (hereinafter referred to simply as“program”) that is reproduced by the STB 43. The TV receiver 41 isprovided with speakers (not shown), from which sounds etc. of a programare output.

The STB 43 acquires a reception signal that is supplied from an antenna44 for receiving digital TV broadcast waves that are transmitted via aBS (broadcasting satellite) or a CS (communications satellite) or aground-wave digital TV broadcast waves, and reproduces a program or thelike corresponding to an instruction from a remote controller 45.

With the STB 43 shown in the figure, by using the remote controller 45 auser can cause the monitor 42 to display an EPG (electronic programguide), and select a TV program to watch or set a viewing reservation sothat a program will be displayed when it is started.

By manipulating the remote controller 45, the user can also select, froman EPG, a program to be recorded in a DVCR (digital video cassetterecorder) 47 that is connected to the STB 43 by an IEEE (Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394 serial bus 46 and set arecording reservation.

In the display control system of FIG. 3, as described later, when theuser makes an instruction to display an EPG, settings of recordingreservations and viewing reservations are referred to and an EPG isdisplayed that includes information (discrimination information) thatallows the user to recognize such reservation-set programs at a glance.

For example, programs for which reservations are set are displayed in anEPG in a different color than programs for which no reservations areset. If there exist a plurality of programs for which reservations areset and their broadcast time slots overlap with each other, an overlaptime slot is displayed in an EPG in a different color than non-overlaptime slots.

That is, in the display control system of FIG. 3, the user can setrecording reservations and viewing reservations for a plurality ofprograms whose broadcast time slots overlap with each other.

Further, if reservations are set for programs whose broadcast time slotsoverlap with each other, the programs are displayed in an EPG in suchcolors or manners that a reservation that is set for which program willbe made effective when an overlap time slot actually arrives isindicated.

With the above measures, the user can cause display of an EPG and checkfor what programs recording reservations or viewing reservations havealready been set. If reservation-set programs include programs whosebroadcast times overlap with each other, the user can easily recognizean overlap time slot and the setting of a reservation that will be madeeffective when the overlap time slot arrives by checking the colors ofthose programs.

Although in FIG. 3 the device that records program data that areextracted by the STB 43 is the DVCR 47, it may be any of variousrecording devices such as a DVD (digital versatile disc) recorder and ahard disk recorder.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary appearance of the remote controller 45 of FIG.3.

As shown in the figure, the remote controller 45 is provided with apower button 61 (located at the top-right corner) to be manipulated toturn on or off the power, au audio switching button 62 to be manipulatedfor audio switching, a screen display button 63 to be manipulated todisplay a currently selected channel, and a mute button 64 to bemanipulated for muting.

Provided under the above buttons are color buttons 65 to be manipulatedto perform various kinds of selection and a decision button 66 inaccordance with the guide of a screen. Provided around the decisionbutton 66 are an EPG button 67 to be manipulated to display an EPG, a MYplus button 68 to be manipulated to display a “MY plus” menu, a returnbutton 69 to be manipulated to return to the preceding picture, a linkdata button 70 to be manipulated to display link data, a reservationlist button 71 to be manipulated to display a list of reservation-setprograms (as described above), and a memory stick button 72 to bemanipulated to display an image or the like that is recorded in a memorystick (registered trademark) inserted.

Provided under the decision button 66 are a CS button 73 to bemanipulated to select the CS broadcast, a BS button 74 to be manipulatedto select the BS broadcast, and a ground-wave button 75 to bemanipulated to select the ground-wave broadcast.

Provided under the ground-wave button 75 etc. are a BS ten-key 76 to bemanipulated to select a BS broadcast channel. Provided under the BSten-key 76 are a program explanation button 77 to be manipulated todisplay an explanation of a program being displayed, a caption button 78to be manipulated to display captions, a video button 79 to bemanipulated to switch video angles, and a media button 80 to bemanipulated to switch media of video to be displayed.

Provided under a ground-wave ten-key 81 to be manipulated to select aground-wave broadcast program are a channel button 82 to be manipulatedto switch channels and a volume button 83 to be manipulated to increaseor decrease the sound volume. Provided under these buttons are a memobutton 84 to be manipulated to store a picture being displayed, an AVmultiple button 85 to be manipulated to switch inputs of the STB 43, acomponent button 86, and a video button 87.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an exemplary internal configuration ofthe STB 43 shown in FIG. 3.

A CPU (central processing unit) 101 loads, into a RAM (random accessmemory) 103, a control program that is stored in a ROM (read-onlymemory) 102, and controls the entire operation of the STB 43 on thebasis of an instruction of the user that is supplied from an infraredlight receiving section 104,

For example, when receiving an instruction of the user to display an EPGon the monitor 42, the CPU 101 refers to EPG data that are supplied froma demultiplexer 107 and reservation information that is read from areservation information storing section 105 (described later). The CPU101 generates EPG data in which reservation-set programs are givenprescribed colors on the basis priority ranks (described later) that areset for the respective pieces of reservation information, and outputsthe generated EPG data to a video decoder 109 and causes the monitor 42to display those. Detailed processes of the CPU 101 will be describedlater with reference to flowcharts.

The infrared light receiving section 104 receives infrared light that isemitted from the remote controller 45 and outputs a commandcorresponding to an instruction of the user to the CPU 101.

The reservation information storage section 105 stores, as reservationinformation, information of a program for which a recording reservationor a viewing reservation is set when receiving it from the CPU 101. Thereservation information storage section 105 reads out stored reservationinformation with prescribed timing, for example, when the user has madean instruction to display an EPG and supplies it to the CPU 101.

A front end 106 extracts a signal of a prescribed channel on the basisof an instruction from the CPU 101, performs analog/digital conversionprocessing, QPSK (quadrature phase shift keying) demodulationprocessing, or error correction processing, or the like on the extractedsignal, and outputs an acquired transport stream to the downstreammultiplexer 107.

The demultiplexer 107 temporarily stores the received transport streamin a buffer memory 108 and descrambles it using a descrambling key thatis supplied from an IC card (not shown), for example. Then, thedemultiplexer 107 extracts packets constituting video data of a programspecified by the CPU 101 from descrambled data on the basis of theiridentifiers, and outputs the extracted packets to a video decoder 109.The demultiplexer 107 also extracts packets containing audio data of theprogram and outputs those to an audio decoder 110.

Further, when instructed by the CPU 101 to extract EPG data (SI (serviceinformation)), the demultiplexer 107 extracts packets containing EPGdata and outputs those to the CPU 101.

The video decoder 109 reproduces received packets according to the MPEG(Moving Picture Experts Group) 2 scheme, and supplies the reproducedvideo signal to the monitor 42 and causes the monitor 42 to display it.Likewise, the audio decoder 110, reproduces received packets, andsupplies reproduced audio signals to the speakers (not shown) and causesthe speakers to output those.

Next, the operation of the display control system of FIG. 3 will bedescribed.

First, a process of the STB 43 for setting a recording reservation orviewing reservation will be described with reference to a flowchart ofFIG. 6.

At step S1, the CPU 101 judges whether the user has made an instructionto display an EPG on the basis of an output of the infrared lightreceiving section 104 or an output of a manipulation section (not shown)where prescribed manipulation buttons are arranged. The CPU 101 waitsuntil judging that such an instruction has been made.

For example, when the user intends to display an EPG and selects aprogram for which a recording reservation is to be set, he depresses theEPG button 67 of the remote controller 45. If judging at step S1 that aninstruction to display an EPG has been made, the CPU 101 moves to stepS2.

At step S2, the CPU 101 controls the demultiplexer 107 and causes it toextract packets containing EPG data from a transport stream that issupplied from the front end 106, and acquires those. The CPU 101outputs, to the video decoder 109, the EPG data that are supplied fromthe demultiplexer 107 and causes the monitor 42 to display acorresponding picture. The monitor 42 displays an EPG in such a mannerthat it is superimposed on, for example, a picture of a programcurrently displayed.

At step S3, the CPU 101 accepts a reservation setting on the basis of anoutput of the infrared light receiving section 104. To set a recordingreservation, for example, the user selects a desired program from theprograms being displayed in the EPG and makes a setting therefor bymanipulating the color buttons 65 and the decision button 66. The usercan set a viewing reservation in a similar manner.

At step S4, the CPU 101 stores, in the reservation information storingsection 105, reservation information indicating details of thereservation of the program that has been specified by the user. Forexample, information indicating a title, a broadcast start time, abroadcast end time, a channel number of the program that has beenselected by the user, information indicating whether the reservation isa recording reservation or a viewing reservation, information indicatingin what recording device the program is to be recorded (in the casewhere a plurality of recording devices are connected to the STB 43), andother information are stored in the reservation information storingsection 105 as reservation information.

By referring to time information that is supplied from a timer (notshown) and the above reservation information, the CPU 101 judges whethera time point of the start of broadcast of the reservation-set programhas arrived. If judging that such a time point has arrived, the CPU 101controls the individual sections of the STB 43 to cause the STB 43 toperform an operation corresponding to the reservation information.

Next, a process of the STB 43 for setting a priority rank of reservationinformation will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 7.As described above, the STB 43 allows setting of reservations for aplurality of programs whose broadcast time slots overlap with eachother. When an overlap time slot has arrived, the CPU 101 checkspriority ranks that are set for pieces of reservation information of theprograms, respectively, and executes an action corresponding to a pieceof reservation information for which a highest priority rank is set withpriority given to it over actions corresponding to the other pieces ofreservation information.

This process is executed with prescribed timing, for example, when areservation setting process as shown in FIG. 6 has been executed.

At step S11, the CPU 101 reads out the pieces of reservation informationstored in the reservation information storing section 105 and recognizesthe contents of their settings.

At step S12, on the basis of the reservation information that has beenrecognized at step S11, the CPU 101 judges whether there exists aprogram whose broadcast time slot overlaps with the broadcast time slotof another program. If judging that no such program exists, the CPU 101finishes the execution of the process. That is, an action correspondingto a reservation that is set for a program whose broadcast time slotdoes not overlap with the broadcast time slot of any other program willbe executed reliably at a broadcast start time of that program.

On the other hand, if judging at step S12 that there exists a programwhose broadcast time slot overlaps with the broadcast time slot ofanother program, the CPU 101 moves to step S13, where the CPU 101recognizes broadcast start times of the respective programs. At stepS14, the CPU 101 judges whether there exist programs that will start tobe broadcast at the same time point. If judging that they will start tobe broadcast at different time points, the CPU 101 moves to step S15.

At step S15 the CPU 101 sets priority ranks in descending order for theprograms from a program having an earliest broadcast start time, andfinishes the execution of the process. For example, if thereservation-set programs include a first program that will be broadcastfor one hour from 9 a.m. and a second program that will be broadcast forone hour from 9:30 a.m., a higher priority rank is set for the firstprogram. During the overlap time slot, that is, from 9:30 a.m. to 10a.m., an action corresponding to the reservation that is set for thefirst program will be executed. Therefore, if a recording reservation isset for the second program, recording of the second program will startafter a lapse of 30 minutes from the start of its broadcast.

On the other hand, if judging at step S14 that there exist programs thatwill start to be broadcast at the same time point, the CPU 101 moves tostep S16, where the CPU 101 judges whether a PPV (pay per view; a useris charged every time he views it) program exists. Since it is expectedthat the user attaches more importance to PPV programs, an exemplarymeasure is such that higher priority ranks are set for PPV programs thanfor the other, non-PPV programs.

If judging at step S17 that a PPV program exists, the CPU 101 moves tostep S18, where the CPU 101 judges there exist a plurality of PPVprograms. If judging at step S18 that there do not exist a plurality ofPPV programs, the CPU 101 moves to step S19, where the CPU 101 sets thehighest priority rank to the PPV program.

Then, the CPU 101 moves to step S20, where the CPU 101 checks serviceIDs (channel numbers) of programs, if any, for which no priority ranksare set. At step S21, the CPU 101 sets priority ranks in descendingorder for those programs from a program having a smallest service ID.Then, the CPU 101 finishes the execution of the process.

On the other hand, if judging at step S17 that there exists no PPVprogram or if judging at step S18 that there exist a plurality of PPVprograms, the CPU 101 moves to step S20, where the CPU 101 checksservice IDs of respective programs, if any, for which no priority ranksare set. Then, at step S21, the CPU 101 sets priority ranks indescending order for those programs from a program having a smallestservice ID.

Assume that reservations are set for programs whose broadcast timesoverlap with each other. When an overlap time slot has arrived, the STB43 judges, on the basis of their priority ranks that have been set inthe above-described manner, an action corresponding to a reservationthat is set for which program should be executed (i.e., whichreservation information is effective) and executes a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation.

For example, the priority ranks that have been set by the above processare stored in the reservation information storing section 105 in such amanner as to be associated with the respective pieces of reservationinformation.

Next, a process of the STB 43 for displaying an EPG will be describedwith reference to a flowchart of FIG. 8.

At step S31, in response to an instruction of the user to display an EPG(i.e., a manipulation on the EPG button 67), the CPU 101 controls thedemultiplexer 107 and thereby acquires EPG data of one page (i.e., anamount of data to be displayed in one picture), for example, to bedisplayed on the monitor 42.

At step S32, the CPU 101 reads out and acquires the reservationinformation that is stored in the reservation information storingsection 105. At step S33, the CPU 101 refers to the EPG data and thereservation information and judges whether the acquired EPG data includedata relating to a reservation-set program (i.e., whether programs to beguided by the EPG data include a reservation-set program).

If judging at step S33 that the EPG data acquired at step S31 includedata relating to a reservation-set program, the CPU 101 moves to stepS34, where the CPU 101 displays an EPG in which reservation-set programsare given colors corresponding to their priority respective ranks.

FIG. 9 shows an EPG example to be displayed on the monitor 42.

In the example of the figure, an EPG 121 is displayed on the monitor 42so as to be superimposed on a program picture. The horizontal axisrepresents the time and the vertical axis represents channels. Asindicated by a cursor 121C, the EPG 121 relates to programs to bebroadcast today (June 11) and contains information corresponding to atime slot of a.m. 11 to p.m. 2. The user can cause display of an EPG ofanother day by moving the cursor 121C.

The information of the EPG 121 is of programs to be broadcast onchannel-123 to channel-131. Although programs and logos of broadcastingcompanies of channel-127 to channel-131 are omitted for the sake ofconvenience of description, actually they are displayed in the samemanner as those of channel-123 to channel-126.

Basically, the EPG 121 consists of, from its left side, a logo displayregion 122 where the logos of broadcasting companies are displayed, achannel display region 123 where the channels (service IDs) of thosecompanies are displayed, and a program display region 124 where programsto be broadcast on the respective channels are displayed in the form ofrectangles (blocks) whose lengths correspond to their respectivebroadcast times.

The titles of the respective programs are shown in the respective blocksthat are displayed in the program display region 124. A reservation iconis displayed on the left of the title of each reservation-set program.

For example, a title “European Soccer” is displayed in the block ofprogram-11 that will be broadcast on channel-123 from 11 a.m. to 11:50a.m. and a reservation icon 131 is displayed on the left of the title. Atitle “World Martial Arts” is displayed in the block of program-12 thatwill be broadcast on channel-123 from 11:50 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. and areservation icon 132 is displayed on the left of the title. A title “Getan Ace” is displayed in the block of program-13 that will be broadcaston channel-123 from 12:40 p.m. to 1:40 p.m. and a reservation icon 133is displayed on the left of the title.

A title “Money Talk” is displayed in the block of program-14 that willbe broadcast on channel-124 from 11:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. and areservation icon 134 is displayed on the left of the title.

Further, a title “World of Kilts” is displayed in the block ofprogram-15 that will be broadcast on channel-126 from 12 p.m. to 12:40p.m. and a reservation icon 135 is displayed on the left of the title. Atitle “All (All Stars)” is displayed in the block of program-16 thatwill be broadcast on channel-126 from 1:40 a.m. to 2 p.m. and areservation icon 136 is displayed on the left of the title.

In the figure, the reservation icons 131, 133, 135, and 136 are drawn bysolid lines whereas the reservation icons 132 and 134 are drawn bybroken lines. The two kinds of icons indicate different reservationtypes such as recording reservation and viewing reservation; that is,icons are given different colors in accordance with their respectivereservation types.

For example, the reservation icons 131, 133, 135, and 136 which aredrawn by solid lines are icons indicating that recording reservationsare set for the programs, and are displayed in red. The reservationicons 132 and 134 which are drawn by broken lines are icons indicatingthat viewing reservations, for example, are set for the programs, andare displayed in blue.

Therefore, the user can judge, on an EPG, whether a reservation isalready set for a program merely by checking whether an icon is presentor absent without the need for checking detailed reservationinformation. Further, the user can judge a setting state of thereservation merely by checking the color of the icon.

As described above, the blocks of reservation-set programs are displayedin a different color than those of non-reservation-set programs.Further, if the broadcast time slots of reservation-set programs overlapwith each other, in an overlap time slot the programs are displayed incolors that depend on priority ranks that are set for the respectivepieces of reservation information to allow the user to discriminate theoverlap time slot from non-overlap time slots at a glance.

Three colors, for example, are set as colors to be given to respectiveblocks in accordance with their respective priority ranks. FIG. 10 showspatterns corresponding to the three colors.

A time slot that is given pattern-1 (hatching) in FIG. 10 is a time slotduring which an action corresponding to a reservation can be executedbecause it does not overlap with the time slot of any other program. Atime slot that is given pattern-2 (dots) is a time slot during which anaction corresponding to a reservation can be executed because althoughit overlaps with the time slot of another program a higher priority rankis set for the program than for the other program. A time slot that isgiven pattern-3 (vertical lines) is a time slot during which an actioncorresponding to a reservation cannot be executed because it overlapswith the time slot of another program and a lower priority rank is setfor the program than for the other program.

For example, in FIG. 9, a period of program-11 of 11 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.is given pattern-1 and its period of 11:40 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. is givenpattern-2. Therefore, program-11 is recorded as reserved during theperiod of 11 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. Program-11 is also recorded during theperiod of 11:40 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. because although this period overlapswith the time slot of another program (program-14) a higher priorityrank has been set for program-11 than for program-14 by a priority ranksetting process as described above with reference to FIG. 7.

More specifically, since program-11 starts to be broadcast earlier thanprogram-14, a higher priority rank is set for program-11 than forprogram-14 at step S15 in FIG. 7.

Similarly, the broadcast times of program-12 and program-14 overlap witheach other in a period of 11:50 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. All the block ofprogram-12 is given pattern-3. A period of program-14 of 11:40 a.m. to11:50 a.m. is given pattern-3 and its period of 11:50 a.m. to 12:40 p.m.is given pattern-2.

Therefore, program-14 is displayed as reserved from 11:50 a.m. to 12:40p.m. and program-12 is not displayed though the viewing reservation isset.

As described above, the user can easily judge whether a reservation thatis set for a program is effective (i.e., whether an action correspondingto the reservation will be executed) by checking a color of the block ofthe program. If the broadcast time slot of the program overlaps withthat of another program, the user can recognize which program will besubjected, during an overlap time slot, to an action corresponding to areservation that is set for the program.

Therefore, if it is found by checking an EPG that reservations are notset in a desired manner, the user can easily judge what reservationsshould be canceled or changed.

Similarly, the user can easily recognize that program-15 whose broadcasttime slot overlaps with the broadcast time slot of program-14 will notbe recorded contrary to the reservation and that program-13 andprogram-16 will be recorded as reserved.

Returning to FIG. 8, if judging at step S33 that the EPG data acquiredat step S31 do not include data relating to any reservation-set program,the CPU 101 moves to step S35, where the CPU 101 causes the monitor 42to display an EPG corresponding to the acquired EPG data.

That is, an EPG having none of the various kinds of reservation iconsand the colors as discrimination information, which is in contrast tothe EPG 121 in FIG. 9, is displayed on the monitor 42.

At step S36, the CPU 101 judges, on the basis of an output of theinfrared light receiving section 104, whether an instruction to scrollthe EPG being displayed has been made. If judging that a scrollinstruction has been made, the CPU 101 returns to step S31 and repeatsthe subsequent steps.

That is, an EPG that is different in time slot or date from the EPG thathas been displayed so far is displayed. If there exist programs forwhich recording reservations etc. are set, various colors and icons aregiven to those programs as pieces of discrimination information.

On the other hand, if judging at step S36 that an instruction to scrollthe EPG has not been made, the CPU 101 moves to step S37, where the CPU101 judges whether an instruction to erase the EPG has been made. Ifjudging at step S37 that an instruction to erase the EPG has not beenmade, the CPU 101 returns to step S36 and repeats the subsequent steps.If judging that an erase instruction has been made, the CPU 101 finishesthe execution of the process.

With the above process, various icons and colors on the EPG are given toprograms for which reservations of recording etc. are set. Therefore,the user can recognize, at a glance, the reserved actions to be executedduring the respective time slots.

Further, as described above, the user can check detailed information onreservations that are set by causing it to be displayed in list form.

Next, a process of the STB 43 for displaying reservation information inlist form will be described with reference to a flowchart FIG. 11.

In response to an instruction of the user to display reservationinformation in list form (i.e., a manipulation on the reservation listbutton 71), at step S51 the CPU 101 reads reservation information of onepage (one picture) from the reservation information storing section 105and acquires it.

At step S52, the CPU 101 judges whether there exist pieces ofreservation information of programs whose broadcast time slots overlapwith each other. If judging that such pieces of reservation informationexist, the CPU 101 moves to step S53, where the CPU 101 generates piecesof reservation information of the programs that include pieces ofdiscrimination information corresponding to their respective priorityranks. The CPU 101 outputs the generated pieces of reservationinformation to the video decoder 109 and displays those in list form.

FIG. 12 shows a list display example of pieces of reservationinformation on the monitor 42 at step S53.

The pieces of reservation information shown in FIG. 12 are of therespective programs that were described with reference to FIG. 9 asprograms for each of which a recording reservation or a viewingreservation is set.

Specifically, in FIG. 12, pieces of reservation information ofprogram-11, program-12, and program-13 are shown as reservationinformation-11, reservation information-12, and reservationinformation-13, respectively. Pieces of reservation information ofprogram-14, program-15, and program-16 are shown as reservationinformation-14, reservation information-15, and reservationinformation-16, respectively.

Each displayed reservation information includes a program title, abroadcast channel, and information indicating a broadcast date and time,a reservation icon (mentioned above), information indicating a recordingdevice to record the program, information indicating whether thereservation currently set is effective or not, and other information.

A reservation cancel button 151 to be manipulated to cancel areservation currently set and a return button 152 to be manipulated toreturn to a picture that was displayed immediately before are displayedat bottom positions of the screen of the monitor 42.

FIG. 13 shows, in an enlarged manner, one piece of reservationinformation (reservation information-11) in the list display of FIG. 12.

As shown in the figure, reservation information-11 shows that thechannel of program-11 is BS digital broadcast channel-123, its title is“European Soccer,” and its broadcast date and time are 11 a.m. to 11:50a.m. of June 11 (Saturday).

A reservation icon 131 is displayed on the right of the broadcast dateand time, and a reservation state display region 161 is provided abovethe reservation icon 131. The reservation state display region 161 is aregion where to display information indicating whether the reservationcurrently set is effective (i.e., information indicating effectiveness).

In the reservation state display region 161, a reservation stateindication icon 162 for allowing the user to recognize a reservationstate at a glance is displayed and an explanation of the reservationstate indication icon 162 is displayed in text form adjacent to it.

In the exemplary reservation state display region 161 shown in FIG. 13,as in the case of the EPG 121, a reservation state indication icon 162is displayed that consists of a figure (rectangle) indicating a block inwhich the horizontal axis represents the time and a mark “◯” (circle)indicating that the reservation is effective. A word (text) “Recordable”is displayed on its right.

A connected device display region 163 is provided under the reservationstate display region 161. A connected device indication icon 164 thatindicates a control device for controlling a device for recordingprogram-11 and a cable that is connected to the recording device isdisplayed in the connected device display region 163. A word (text) asan explanation of the icon 164 is displayed adjacent to it.

In the example of FIG. 13, a connected device indication icon 164indicating an appearance of a video mouse as control device forcontrolling a device for recording program-11 is displayed. A word(text) “Video mouse” is displayed on its right.

As described above, for each piece of reservation information of aprogram whose broadcast time slot overlaps with the broadcast time slotof another program, information indicating whether the reservation iseffective or not is displayed in the form of an icon (reservation stateindication icon 162) and a text. Therefore, the user can recognize, at aglance, whether the reservation is effective.

Referring to FIG. 12, a reservation state indication icon 162 thatconsists of a solid block indicating that program-12 for which theviewing reservation is set will not be displayed and a mark “x” (cross)is displayed in the reservation state indication region 161 ofreservation information-12. A word (text) “Unrecordable” as anexplanation of the reservation state is displayed adjacent to the icon162. As described above with reference to FIG. 9, program-12 (“WorldMartial Arts”) for which the viewing reservation is set will not bedisplayed because it conflicts with a reservation that is set foranother program.

A reservation state indication icon 162 that consists of a half-solidblock indicating that viewing reservation will be displayed from ahalfway time and a mark “Δ” (triangle) is displayed in the reservationstate indication region 161 of reservation information-14. A text“Viewable from a halfway time” as an explanation of the reservationstate is displayed adjacent to the icon 162.

The same icon as the reservation state indication icon 162 ofreservation information-12 is displayed in the reservation stateindication region 161 of reservation information-15, and a word (text)“Unrecordable” is displayed. A connected device indication icon 164indicating that a device for recording program-15 is connected via anIEEE 1394 serial bus and a word (text) “HDR” indicating that therecording device is a hard disk recorder are displayed in the connecteddevice indication region 163.

As described above, for each of the pieces of reservation information ofprogram-11, program-12, program-14, and program-15 each of whosebroadcast time slots overlaps with the broadcast time slot of anotherprogram, the reservation state indication icon 164 indicating thereservation state (whether the reservation is effective) of the overlaptime slot and the text are displayed in the reservation state indicationregion 161.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, no information is displayed in thereservation state indication regions 161 of reservation information-13and reservation information-16 of program-13 and program-16 each ofwhose broadcast time slots does not overlap with the broadcast time slotof any program.

Therefore, the user can recognize, at a glance, that the broadcast timeof each of program-13 and program-16, for example, does not overlap withthe broadcast time of any program for which a reservation is set andhence reservation information-13 and reservation information-16 areeffective.

For reservation information-13, a connected device indication icon 164indicating that the cable connected to a device for recording program-13is the IEEE 1394 serial bus 46 and a word (text) explaining that thedevice is a D-VHS device (DVCR 47) are displayed. The facts thatprogram-13 is a PPV program and the fee is “500 yen” are displayed onthe right of the reservation state indication region 161 of reservationinformation-13.

Returning to the description of FIG. 11, at step S52, the CPU 101 judgeswhether there exist pieces of reservation information of programs whosebroadcast time slots overlap with each other. If judging that no suchreservation information exists, the CPU 101 moves to step S54, where theCPU 101 displays the acquired pieces of reservation information in listform.

That is, a reservation list that is in contrast to the reservation listof FIG. 12 in that no information is displayed in the reservation stateindication regions 161 of the respective pieces of reservationinformation is displayed on the monitor 42.

At step S55, the CPU 101 judges whether an instruction to scroll thereservation list (i.e., an instruction to display another picture) hasbeen made. If judging that a scroll instruction has been made, the CPU101 returns to step S51 and repeats the subsequent steps. On the otherhand, if judging at step S55 that a scroll instruction has not beenmade, the CPU 101 moves to step S56, where the CPU 101 judges, on thebasis of an output of the infrared light receiving section 104, whetheran instruction to erase the reservation list has been made.

If judging at step S56 that an instruction to erase the reservation listhas not been made, the CPU 101 returns to step S55 and repeats thesubsequent steps. If judging that an erase instruction has been made,the CPU 101 finishes the execution of the process.

As described above, in the case where reservations are set for programswhose broadcast time slots overlap with each other, icons and texts asdiscrimination information are displayed as parts of respective piecesof reservation information when the pieces of reservation informationare displayed in list form. Therefore, the user can recognize aneffective reservation at a glance.

Although it was mentioned above that the reservation state indicationicon 162 and the text as an explanation of the icon 162 are displayed inthe reservation state indication region 161, various kinds ofinformation may be displayed as discrimination information as long asthey allow the user to easily recognize the reservation state.

FIGS. 14A-14C show other example of the discrimination information thatis displayed in the reservation state indication region 161 of eachreservation information when pieces of reservation information aredisplayed in list form.

As shown in FIGS. 14A-14C, an indicator that is colored differently in areserved action execution time and in a reserved action non-executiontime may be displayed in the reservation state indication region 161 inthe case where the broadcast time of the program concerned overlaps withthat of another program.

FIG. 14A shows an indicator example that is displayed in a case that anaction corresponding to a reservation that is set for the program willbe executed throughout its time slot. In this example, the reservedaction execution (executable) time is indicated in blue. FIG. 14B showsan indicator example, to the contrary of FIG. 14A, that is displayed ina case that an action corresponding to a reservation that is set for theprogram will not be executed at all during its time slot. In thisexample, the reserved action non-execution (unexecutable) time isindicated in gray.

FIG. 14C shows an indicator example that is displayed in a case that anaction corresponding to a reservation that is set for the program willbe executed from a halfway point of its broadcast time and will not beexecuted in a short time slot immediately before the end.

The left end and the right end of each indicator corresponds to thestart time and the end time of the program, respectively.

FIGS. 15A-15C show other indicator examples that are displayed in thereservation state indication region 161.

In the examples of FIGS. 15A-15C, the size of the unit (bar) of theindicator is changed in a reserved action execution time and in areserved action non-execution time. FIG. 15A shows an indicator that isdisplayed in a case that an action corresponding to a reservation thatis set for the program will be executed throughout its time slot. FIG.15B shows an indicator example that is displayed in a case that areserved action will not be executed at all during its time slot.

That is, as shown in the figures, the unit of the indicator is longer ina time slot during which a reserved action will be executed than in atime slot during which the reserved action will not be executed.

Therefore, in this case, an indicator for a program a reserved actionfor which will be executed from a halfway point of its broadcast timeand will not be executed in a short time slot immediately before the endis as shown in FIG. 15C.

Displaying the indicators shown in FIGS. 14A-14C and FIGS. 15A-15Callows the user to easily recognize visually settings of reservedactions to be executed for programs whose broadcast time slots overlapwith each other.

FIG. 16 shows, in an enlarged manner, one piece of reservationinformation in the list display of FIG. 12. In this example, reservationinformation-11 is enlarged.

As shown in the figure, the reserved action execution time slot may bedisplayed simply in text form in the reservation state indication region161. “Reserved action executable time 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.” isdisplayed in the reservation state indication region 161 of thereservation information of FIG. 16.

FIG. 17 shows another example of the list display that allows the userto recognize a reservation state at a glance. The same mark is given toan overlap time slot.

More specifically, “11:50 a.m.” that is the end time of program-11 and“11:30 a.m.” that is the start time of program-14 are enclosed by colorlines 171C and 172C, respectively. This kind of display also allows theuser to recognize that program-11 and program-14 have an overlap timeslot. For example, the color lines 171C and 172C may have the samecolor.

As described above, it is possible for various kinds of display to allowthe user to recognize presence of broadcast time slots that overlap witheach other.

For example, in the EPG 121 of FIG. 9 and the list display of FIG. 12,each overlap time slot and related icons may be blinked. Or an alarmmessage or an alarm sound may be output with prescribed timing, forexample, immediately before an overlap time slot.

In this specification, steps of a program that is recorded in arecording medium may naturally be executed in time-series order, i.e.,in written order. However, they may not necessarily be executed intime-series order; they may be executed in parallel or individually.

In this specification, the term “system” means the entire apparatus thatis composed of a plurality of apparatuses and devices.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, in a first display control apparatus and method ofthe invention, a recording reservation or a viewing reservation is setfor a program, electronic program guide information is acquired, and theacquired electronic program guide information is displayed. Where abroadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or aviewing reservation is set is overlaps with that of another program forwhich a recording reservation or a viewing reservation is set, theelectronic program guide information is displayed in such a manner thatan overlap first time slot is given prescribed discriminationinformation for discriminating the overlap first time slot from anon-overlap second time slot. Therefore, a user can easily recognize,for example, settings of reservations having an overlapexecution-intended time slot.

In a second display control apparatus and method of the invention, arecording reservation or a viewing reservation is set for a program, andpieces of reservation information relating to recording reservations orviewing reservations that are set are displayed in list form. Where abroadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or aviewing reservation is set by overlaps with that of another program forwhich a recording reservation or a viewing reservation is set, thepieces of reservation information are displayed in list form to whichprescribed pieces of discrimination information indicating whetherpieces of reservation information are effective in an overlap time slotare added. Therefore, a user can easily recognize, for example, settingsof reservations having an overlap execution-intended time slot.

1. A display control apparatus capable of setting a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation for programs whose broadcast timeslots overlap with each other, characterized by comprising: reservationsetting means for setting a recording reservation or a viewingreservation for a program; acquiring means for acquiring electronicprogram guide information; and display means for displaying theelectronic program guide information acquired by the acquiring means,the display control apparatus further characterized in that: where abroadcast time slot of a program for which a recording reservation or aviewing reservation has been set by the reservation setting meansoverlaps with that of another program for which a recording reservationor a viewing reservation has been set, the display means displays theelectronic program guide information in such a manner that an overlapfirst time slot is given prescribed discrimination information fordiscriminating the overlap first time slot from a non-overlap secondtime slot.
 2. The display control apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that the display means displays the electronic programguide information in such a manner that the first time slot and thesecond time slot are given different colors.
 3. The display controlapparatus according to claim 1, characterized by further comprisingpriority rank setting means for setting a priority rank to the recordingreservation or the viewing reservation that is set for each of theprogram and the other program, the display control apparatus furthercharacterized in that the display means displays the electronic programguide information by selecting the discrimination information on thebasis of the priority ranks set by the priority rank setting means.
 4. Adisplay control method of a display control apparatus capable of settinga recording reservation or a viewing reservation for programs whosebroadcast time slots overlap with each other, characterized bycomprising: a reservation setting step of setting a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation for a program; an acquiring step ofacquiring electronic program guide information; and a display step ofdisplaying the electronic program guide information acquired byprocessing of the acquiring step, the display control method furthercharacterized in that: where a broadcast time slot of a program forwhich a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set byprocessing of the reservation setting step overlaps with that of anotherprogram for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation hasbeen set, the electronic program guide information is displayed byprocessing of the display step in such a manner that an overlap firsttime slot is given prescribed discrimination information fordiscriminating the overlap first time slot from a non-overlap secondtime slot.
 5. A display control apparatus capable of setting a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation for programs whose broadcast timeslots overlap with each other, characterized by comprising: reservationsetting means for setting a recording reservation or a viewingreservation for a program; and display means for displaying, in listform, pieces of reservation information relating to recordingreservations or viewing reservations set by the reservation settingmeans, the display control apparatus further characterized in that:where a broadcast time slot of a program for which a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation has been set by the reservationsetting means overlaps with that of another program for which arecording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set, the displaymeans displays, in list form, the pieces of reservation information towhich prescribed pieces of discrimination information indicating whetherpieces of reservation information are effective in an overlap time slotare added.
 6. The display control apparatus according to claim 5,characterized in that the display means displays, in list form, thepieces of reservation information to which icons indicating whether thepieces of reservation information are effective in the overlap time slotare added as the pieces of discrimination information.
 7. The displaycontrol apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that thedisplay means displays, in list form, the pieces of reservationinformation to which indicators are added as the pieces ofdiscrimination information, each of the indicators being such that of abroadcast time slot of the program a time slot during which an actioncorresponding to a recording reservation or a viewing reservation willbe executed and a time slot during which the action corresponding to therecording reservation or the viewing reservation will not be executedare shown in different colors.
 8. The display control apparatusaccording to claim 5, characterized by further comprising priority ranksetting means for setting a priority rank to the recording reservationor the viewing reservation that is set for each of the program and theother program, the display control apparatus further characterized inthat the display means displays, in list form, the pieces of reservationinformation by selecting the pieces of discrimination information on thebasis of the priority ranks set by the priority rank setting means.
 9. Adisplay control method of a display control apparatus capable of settinga recording reservation or a viewing reservation for programs whosebroadcast time slots overlap with each other, characterized bycomprising: a reservation setting step of setting a recordingreservation or a viewing reservation for a program; and a display stepof displaying, in list form, pieces of reservation information relatingto recording reservations or viewing reservations set by processing ofthe reservation setting step, the display control method furthercharacterized in that: where a broadcast time slot of a program forwhich a recording reservation or a viewing reservation has been set byprocessing of the reservation setting step overlaps with that of anotherprogram for which a recording reservation or a viewing reservation hasbeen set, the pieces of reservation information to which prescribedpieces of discrimination information indicating whether pieces ofreservation information are effective in an overlap time slot are addedare displayed in list form by processing of the display step.